McLean, VA- How Conservative Is It?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Virginia you do NOT register as a member of ANY political party--you only have to register to vote.

Does that mean you can vote in either primary?

[Anonymous]

McLean isn't exactly a hotbed of liberalism, but it is pretty evenly divided. Our neighborhood (Chain Bridge Forest - by the Chain Bridge on the border of Arlington) had mostly Obama signs during the previous election, with a few McCain signs sprinkled in. It's not the most ethnically diverse area, but it is very diverse in terms of nationalities. Very suburban, but quite close to the city (one traffic light and 1.5 miles from my house) into DC, so it just depends on which corner of McLean. Good schools, easy access to many places, but definitely not a walk to anywhere community (which I miss).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Virginia you do NOT register as a member of ANY political party--you only have to register to vote.

Does that mean you can vote in either primary?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are the 2009 state election results by precinct. You can see how the votes for any area compare.

https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/11032009/official_results_110309.pdf

That will only tell OP precinct results--not her immediate neighbor or neighborhood political leanings and they just might not be politically compatable. Boo hoo.

It's darn close enough. Fairfax County precincts are really small. I don't think OP expects us to predict the political affiliation of her next door neighbor. It's fine if you don't like the question, but the information is there to answer the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why all the hate? It is completely normal to want to live around people like you. Political beliefs, esp. for many of us who work(ed) in the business, are very much a reflection of your values.

The people around the corner from us (in a liberal enclave of NW DC) had a McCain sign and I drove by every day thinking "why do they live in this neighborhood??!"

To answer the OP's question, I have exactly one friend in McLean, very close to the Arlington line. She and her husband are both nominally Democrats but I believe grew up as Republicans and with money, and are comfortable living there.

That must be our house you saw, since I think there were maybe three houses in NW DC with McCain signs. We live in the neighborhood because it has a warm, suburban feel, is relatively safe, easy commute, amazing house and yard, close to schools, among other reasons. And we love our liberal neighbors and never thought of tearing down their Obama signs like someone tore down our McCain sign.

I have to say I think it is completely closed-minded to think that you should surround yourself with those that think just like you--it never even occurred to us when we moved--from Virginia (so we were essentially disenfranchised). We are conservative Republicans, but frankly, the majority of our friends are liberal dems. We don't choose our friends or our neighbors by a political litmus test.

McLean is a very nice neighborhood, very, very affluent. I find it a bit sterile in terms of houses--McMansions. I know super-liberals and republicans and middle of the roaders who live there.

I agree - that kind of echo-chamber thinking creates unnecessary animosities, fosters extreme positions, makes the political process more difficult, and makes for bad policies – if you only talk to people who agree with everything you say, you’re never challenged, and won’t identify flaws in your position. You can learn a lot more from people who disagree with you then people who nod their heads at everything you say. Perhaps if people (on both sides of the political spectrum) who “work in the business” (yeesh) broadened their horizons a bit, more things would get done.

On a social level, lots of people with different political affiliations can live next to each other, have their kids attend the same schools, be cordial to each other, and <gasp> even be friends. I have no idea why this is a problem.

[Anonymous]

As a conservative, that lives in the District that used to live in McLean, I'll say this. I saw many more Obama stickers on cars than I did McCain and the McCain ones were all on cars driven by geriatrics. There was also a huge Obama sign near the CIA. All this is anecdotal evidence but i felt that McLean was very much pro-Obama much to my chagrin. I live in the District and know a number of conservatives (more here than in NoVa) but we dare not out ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:... I live in the District and know a number of conservatives (more here than in NoVa) but we dare not out ourselves.

I won't dispute that if you go public you'll get blowback. But I think many on the left and in the center are, like you, open to having friends and neighbors who disagree with our political views. There are angry and dogmatic people on both sides who brook no disagreement (we see them on this list), but there are also those of all political stripes who know that well-intentioned, honest people can see things differently. Unfortunately, the angry dogmatic ones are the quickest to respond.

My plea to all is not to judge the other side by the most dogmatic responses.

[Anonymous]

While I agree with you that most people can look past political beliefs and be friends, I wouldn't dare put up a McCain sign back in 2008 in DC when Barack Obama an African-American was running for president. I would have been called a racist etc.

[Anonymous]

My prejudice: If you buy a house in a rich area you are going to have a lot of conservative neighbors. More and more it seems to me that conservative = selfish rich people.

So get used to it if you want a ritzy neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My prejudice: If you buy a house in a rich area you are going to have a lot of conservative neighbors. More and more it seems to me that conservative = selfish rich people.

So get used to it if you want a ritzy neighborhood.

This is a rash generalization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My prejudice: If you buy a house in a rich area you are going to have a lot of conservative neighbors. More and more it seems to me that conservative = selfish rich people.

So get used to it if you want a ritzy neighborhood.

This is a rash generalization.

I agree with the last sentiment. There are a lot of well-to-do people (think Hollywood and the Upper West Side in NY, for example) who are comfortable enough that they feel they can be generous. Also, there are loads of lower middle class people who are worried about advances by those lower down that they take conservative positions that may not be in their own financial self-interest. We are governed by images of ourselves that may not fit Marxian dialectic.

[Anonymous]

One of the Mclean McMansion selfish rich here..Yup I am a conservative since I worked for it, I earned it and I would like to not just give it away. Sorry. We need more conservatives in Mclean since I am yawn getting tired of the limo liberals infecting the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the Mclean McMansion selfish rich here..Yup I am a conservative since I worked for it, I earned it and I would like to not just give it away. Sorry. We need more conservatives in Mclean since I am yawn getting tired of the limo liberals infecting the area.

Gosh, to me, you are the infection. Do they make McMansion-sized monistat?

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are so worried about right-wing conservatives, please do yourself a favor and move back to my liberal home state of Maryland. You'll find plenty of things to love there besides your neighbors, including high income and property taxes and some of the highest closing costs in the nation. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I live in a part of McLean where the average house price is about $900,000. I would say that in this area, political leanings are evenly divided (at least for the 2009 presidential race).

Aside from that, I don't really talk politics with my neighbors -- politics and religion are off-limits in my book. People are generally friendly here and it's a nice neighborhood. My only complaint was that the elementary school chose not to show Obama's education address to the students.